But, on learning his purpose to
go far South, and even thousands of miles beyond the boundaries of
his own country, she became oppressed with a painful anxiety, which
was heightened, rather than allayed, by his vague replies to all her
earnest inquiries in regard to the state of affairs that rendered
this long journey imperative.
"Interests of great magnitude," he would say, "require that all who
are engaged in them should be minutely conversant with their state
of progress. I have long enough taken the statements of parties at a
distance: now I must see and know for myself."
How little there was in all this to allay anxiety, or reconcile the
heart to a long separation from its life-partner, is clear to every
one. Mrs. Markland saw that her husband wished to conceal from her
the exact position of his affairs, and this but gave her startled
imagination power to conjure up the most frightful images. Fears for
the safety of her husband during a long journey in a distant
country, where few traces of civilization could yet be found, were
far more active than concern for the result of his business.
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